My my, where to begin. Okay, so this is my first review outside of general observations about any gear that I've acquired. Today we'll be looking at the OBS Engine mod with the Engine S 6mL Atomizer. This was won as a giveaway here on ECF which was hosted by @Pheric from ElegoMall (Best Vape Wholesale| Electronic Cigarette Wholesale| ElegoMall - Best Vape Wholesale Supplier!).
Even though I received this for free, I will give it an unbiased review. I'm not at all a fan of misinformation or deception, so I will be critiquing this kit accordingly. I do not know or use some of the more complex jargon in regards to tank parts or mods, so this should hopefully be fairly easy to understand for anyone that isn't fully knowledgeable about the specificities of these items.
The box arrived encased in the general gift box style presentation. This box however doesn't have a cover under the outer gift box sleeve, so be careful when you're opening it or the mod will come flying out. Inside were the basics you'll find in pretty much every original mod or kit purchase:
1x Engine 100W Mod
1x Engine S Tank (6 mL)
1x 18650 Battery Adaptor (uses 18650/20700/21700 battery - battery not included)
1x E1 0.4 ohm Mesh Coil
1x E2 0.2 ohm Mesh Coil
1x Spare Bubble Glass (6 mL)
1x Spare O-rings
1x USB Type-C Cable
1x Warning Card
1x Warranty Card
1x User Manual
I'll start with the Engine S Sub-ohm Tank.
The machining of the tank is quite sharp. And when I say sharp, I mean both in looks and in actual sharpness. I will go further into that as we get down the line. While the 810 drip tip on this tank isn't proprietary, it isn't exactly universal either. On the Uwell Fancier RDTA (I didn't try all of my tanks), the inner sleeve is longer than other more universal 810s and so it sticks up creating a gap between the bottom lip of the 810 and the tank. I can imagine there are more tanks out there with this issue. I did stick it on a few GeekVape atomizers and the OXVA Arbiter just to see how it sits, and it sits nicely, but it's pretty loose. Much looser than probably preferable. Even on the tank itself, it's rather moveable/twistable, but it creates enough of a seal that you won't feel any slippage of air between the 810 and the tank. You can likely shove most 810s into the Engine S, but it's going to be tight with some of them being the seal sticks out a bit into the cap well.
The top refill area has the basic double U shaped slots that are just big enough to slide a normal 120 mL gorilla bottle tip inside of.
One of the cool things about this atomizer is that the tank housing is a single piece. In the picture above, you can see how the top and bottom seals (black o-rings) are all part of a single piece. That makes the removal of the glass very simple and easy. This also however means, you need to pretty much empty the tank of any juice before you remove the coil, or you're going to have yourself a hot mess. You can tip the tank on its side when removing the coil so that the remaining juice rests inside the bubble glass to give you a little leeway. Not a huge deal in exchange for how easy it is to remove the glass (I cannot say that for many tanks - it's usually quite a chore to get the glass off without it feeling like it's going to shatter in your hand). Just remember to empty the tank before you change coils.
After opening this tank up, I washed it in dish soap, but you can see in the pic above, the machine oil that was left inside from 12 o' clock to about 2:30. I think this is a good reminder that you should always wash out your newly purchased tanks in some sort of cleaning solution, whether it be vodka that some swear by, or soapy dish soap. Just make sure if you're using the latter, that you give it a very thorough rinse inside and out.
As I had mentioned before, this thing is machined quite sharply. This isn't just an OBS thing - I've gotten micro cuts from several tanks trying to twist it open, or removing the glass, or trying to close/open the juice valve. Parts on these tanks can be quite sharp, and this tank is no exception. The inner ring of the base piece that has the thread post is quite sharp. Same with the bottom of the tank housing piece shown above. This is a warning for all tanks really - just be aware where your fingers are when you're twisting your tanks.
The coils. The preinstalled coil was the 0.2 ohm "E2" Mesh coil. The spare that comes in the box is the 0.4 ohm "E1". I have yet to use the E1 coil, but if it's anything like the E2 coil, you're in for a treat. Using the E2 coil, 45 watts was the sweet spot for me. The coil recommends 50-70, and best at 60w, but I don't see an improvement with the flavor. I do get a bit more clouds, but that isn't the main reason I vape, and I can also squeeze out more puffs from battery life. The OBS Engine mod very easily hits 100 watts and still gives off decent flavor and much more clouds, but if it isn't a short burst, you're sure to get a burnt wick flavor. Stick below the recommended wattage and it'll perform very nicely. 45 watts is giving me an absolutely stellar juice flavor. The E1 coil recommends 45-55, best being 50 watts. More on the mod below.
Last for the tank is the Airflow Control Ring which works similar to most other bottom airflow rings - about a quarter turn CW will open it, CCW will close it. You can definitely make this MTL with it being fully closed, but I'm sure there are restricted MTLers out there that would tell me this thing is like a vacuum hose fully closed. I'm regularly a Restricted Direct to Lunch vaper, and this thing gets pretty tight. The ring is grooved so that it stops at full open and completely closed.
One last note, I did drop this kit off of my desk which is probably 2.5 feet on the 810 I believe, and when I picked it up and fired it, it read check atomizer. I thought oh no, I've only had this a day... However, if you ever get the check atomizer notice on any mod with a drop in coil, try removing the coil, rotating it a bit or flip it (if able), and then reinserting it. Also when putting the coil back in, seat it but don't shove it all the way back in. Let the base press it back in when screwing it on. Try this a couple of times if you're still getting check atomizer. Also try taking the atomizer completely out of the mod, and screwing it back in slowly while firing the mod. See if any point you don't get the check atomizer reading. This is the second coil I've had to do this with, and both times it's worked. It's worth a try if this happens to you.
Onward, to the Engine!
First off, this thing is pretty tiny. It's literally the size of a 21700 battery with a chip strapped onto the side. My first impression was thinking "oh nooo, this thing isn't going to be able to use all 100 watts." Wrong. Aside the YiHi chip in power mode, the only thing this chip falls short of is the ramp up time, and it's hardly even noticeable. That fact that it can use a 21700 battery makes it even better imo. Remember though, this guy only has power/variable wattage mode. **For any TC users out there, this isn't the one for you.**
The 510 plate is ribbed for heat dispersion which is quite effective. I got the mod slightly warm testing the wattages all the way up to 100, but the tank never got so hot that I couldn't hold my hand on it comfortably. Comparing this mod to other dual battery mods, I saw no difference in performance up to 100 watts. I didn't however test this with a low battery. Vaping at 45 watts until the battery ran out, I saw no difference in performance. If you're used to vaping at or above 70 watts regularly, I think a double battery mod would be a wiser choice. It isn't that this mod can't handle the watts, it's that there's only 1 battery and 70+ watts might, just might get you through the day, depending on how often you vape. So really, this mod is limited by the battery you're using. As any veteran from ECF would recommend, use OEM batteries that Mooch recommends. If you are unfamiliar where to find this information, do a search for "recommended oem batteries" with Mooch's name in the "Posted by Member" portion.
Battery door is screw on. Be careful that you do not cross the threads. Pressing the cap in and evenly distributing pressure across it while also pressing and twisting can be a bit of a trick. Be patient though, cuz if you cross the threads, that's a done deal. The threading is pretty fine as well. Bending your index finger and using your knuckle to press on the cap while using your middle finger and thumb to twist on the cap seemed to work a treat for me.
The hard plastic 18650 battery adaptor on the left. Screw on cap signifies that it's the negative end for the battery. Molicel P42A 21700 slid in nice and smoothly.
As advertised, this mod allows you to interchange the black carbon fiber battery sleeve with various other colors - sold separately.
The display cover is a fingerprint magnet as seen in the picture below, but what display isn't. A couple things to note about this mod that are different than most other regulated mods I've used:
1 - it asks you what type of battery you're using when you open up the battery cap or put in a new battery and turn it on - pretty cool. I don't believe this limits your battery (actually, lemme check)... Okay, so it does limit the wattage down to 80 watts with an 18650. Not sure about the 20700 as I have none, but the 21700 unlocks the 100 watt potential of this mod.
2 - the battery meter draws down in 10% increments. 90%, 80%, 70%, etc. Not a huge deal for me.
3 - The voltage meter isn't read until you fire the mod, much like Amp readings are on mods with an Amp readout. There is no Amp readout in this UI however, so either know your Ohm's Law, or double check on a mod with an Amp readout. I would suggest the latter, as coils and coil readouts can be finnicky sometimes and be very erratic or inaccurate. Remember VOA: Voltage / Ohms = Amps. In regards to batteries, reference Mooch's list of batteries and find the *actual estimated* Maximum Discharge Rate (pretend Pulse Discharge value doesn't exist, because it doesn't), and multiply that amperage by 3 to get a wattage cap for that battery. If you don't know what I'm talking about, and you're vaping - I would highly suggest that you do some battery research. Anyway, onward with the review!
Dammit, I just reset the puff counter trying to figure out how to change the UI color. So normally, 3 quick presses of the fire button brings you to a menu of some sort. This guy doesn't have a menu. Your options are power, and then more power - all the way to 100 watts. =) 3 quick presses on the OBS Engine cycles you through the UI colors. Above, you can see on the bottom of the screen that the red circle is highlighted - everything you see in red, can be changed to any of those other 5 colors. Purple, Light Blue (aqua?), Dark Blue, Green, and White. To unlock the UI to change the wattage, you quickly press up or down 3 times consecutively on the same button and the lock icon will shift to unlocked. I just tried using a bunch of different combos between the up and down button to unlock, and it neither unlocked nor gave me 30 extra lives. Maybe on the next mod. Kudos to those that get that reference.
I haven't tried the USB-C charger yet, but I wouldn't recommend using it unless you don't have a separate battery charger with you. And if you don't, then this probably works as most of them do.
My Overall Thots Thoughts.
This guy was a game changer for me. Before now, the only drop/screw in coil atomizer that held any sort of competition to RBAs was the Freemax Fireluke 3, and this tank is head to head with it. Both have their minor bonuses or drawbacks, but in the end it's how they perform - and they're both right up there for me. I've only been vaping on this thing for 3 days now (rolling into the 4th), and I'm 60% into my second 21700. Mind you, I only charge my batteries to 80ish % (complicated, but you get more drain cycles out of your battery). I usually have probably 10 or so kits in rotation at any given moment, but I've only been vaping this to try and put some miles on it for this review. I just reset my puff counter accidentally, but the last I had checked, I was at 367. Add 6, so at least 373 puffs (hold on, lemme pull my sock off to count) - yeah, 373 puffs give or take some. No sign of wear on the coil yet. I've refilled this 6 mL tank 5 times now, and I'm halfway through the 5th. All juices have been 70/30 VG/PG. One of my fruity juices (Nude POM) was actually overbearing with this tank. I've used half of the 120 mL in other tanks and it vaped strong, but not overbearing. For whatever reason, this mod draws out some crazy flavor. The Dvarw, Kayfun 5 Squared, Brunhilde, OXVA Arbiter, Profile RDTA, Aromamizer, Uwell Fancier, Blitzen - all seemed to produce a richer flavor. Is it just me noticing that tanks taste differently on different mods? The difference is astounding to me. The size, the weight, the performance (although no TC capabilities), the price - I would highly recommend this kit.
Would I buy this again? Yes, I plan on buying a few more and would definitely replace it if it broke.
Would I recommend this to others? Defo yes.
Would I make love to this kit? Ye- hey now. What happens behind closed doors, stays behind closed doors.
To compare size against other fairly common mods. The mod to the left of the Engine is the OXVA Velocity which holds a single 21700, and same with the two to the right of the Engine - The GeekVape Max and Vandy Vape Pulse Mechanical Squonk.
I hope you enjoyed the review and that it shed some light on the OBS Engine Kit!